Special Session 16

Recent research on HBIM (Historical Building Information Modelling) has demonstrated the effectiveness of an informative approach for the management of Cultural Heritage, especially for projects focused on preservation, management and planned conservation. Such research has often concerned the modeling stage, especially concerning the production of correct geometric content. Scientific literature highlighted the usefulness of point-clouds, as today’s most used and perhaps more complete tangible heritage digitization product. Nevertheless, researches pointed out some shortcomings in the technological solutions available today (especially commercial software) dealing with the modelling phase, in a BIM environments.

Now, the research gap which is more urgent to fill is the one regarding the modelling of the informative content of Heritage models, which - despite some efforts -remains less studied.

According to a general definition, “information management” is about making sure that the right information is delivered to the right destination at the right time to meet a specific purpose.

Until now, there are some shortcomings about the possibility of well-performing interoperability in terms of commonly shared standards, data sharing environments, and life cycle management, a particularly important aspect for long lived heritage sites. The scientific community is also aware that the solutions suggested in this context have mainly borrowed from the field of BIM for new constructions and have been adapted to Cultural Heritage assets, sometimes with compromises.

The goal of this special session it to discuss these issues related to architectural and archaeological assets, and to highlight research projects (both practical cases and theoretical reflections) being developed or already presented concerning both archaeology and architecture.

Many topics can be developed:

• Data Segmentation and classification;
• Ontologies;
• Coding of the elements;
• Linked Data and Linked Open Data solutions;
• Database design (internal or external) for HBIM;
• Management of planned conservation plans;
• Collection, representation and management of information on conservation status;
• Provision of conservative intervention based on information content:
• Harris matrix for stratigraphic units;
• Stratigraphy of finishing surfaces, wall paintings in HBIM systems;
• Management of diagnostics and monitoring;
• Multiscale intervention;
• Archaeological and architectural Information Requirements.

Andrea Adami, is an expert in digitizing and surveying historical heritage using cutting-edge techniques offered by Geomatics. He works on the survey and representation of the territory and architecture aimed at better management of heritage. In his career, developed at the Laboratory of Photogrammetry of IUAV and Institute of Technology Applied to Cultural Heritage of CNR, he had the chance to work on very relevant Cultural Heritage form archaeology of historical architecture: Etruscan tombs. Roman city of Grumentum, Arch of Augustus in Aosta, till the Basilica of San Marco In Venice, many examples of Palladian Architecture, and the Basilica of S Andrea in Mantova.
In 2015 he won the National Call for SIR (Scientific Independence of Young Researchers) with a project entitled "Building Information Modelling for the Planned Conservation of Cultural Heritage: even Geomatic Question" and, since then, he has collaborated with Prof Barbara Scala in experimenting with the BIM approach for Cultural Heritage

Barbara Scala, an expert in architectural restoration, with a twenty-year professional activity in the field, has deepened her knowledge of traditional construction techniques and historical anti- seismic systems, revisited in a modern key within the restoration. This subject sees her engaged above all in the field of rural architecture, whose study has been developed within a multidisciplinary project related to the theme of interior areas.
During her training, he paid attention to the theme of planned conservation. She started using GIS software, then systems based on information databases and, now, she is testing HBIM approach in collaboration with Prof Andrea Adami.
Her work at the University of Brescia has included promoting heritage protection with local authorities (municipalities and mountain communities) and the Superintendence of Aosta to manage restoration processes. Recently, there has been a continuous collaboration for the restoration of some railway stations on the Italian territory with companies owned by Ferrovie dello Stato.